Passover Quinoa Pilaf

This colorful quinoa pilaf is a great addition to the Passover holiday’s festive Seder meal. Contributed to Vegan Holiday Kitchen‘s Passover chapter by a longtime reader of mine, Barbara Pollak, this pilaf is attractive made with a mix of red and white quinoa, but either color can be used on its own. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.

Combine the quinoa with the broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Test to see if the quinoa is done to your liking; if needed, add another 1/2 cup water and simmer until absorbed.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet or stir-fry pan. Add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.

Add the cabbage, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, ginger, basil, thyme, and lemon juice. Turn the heat up to medium-high and stir-fry until the cabbage is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cooked quinoa, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and dill, remove from the heat, and serve.

11 comments on “Passover Quinoa Pilaf”

Thanks so much for posting this in time for Passover, I’ve been scratching my head about second day lunch and this will do the trick. One thing, many of us are advised by our Rabbis that we can’t use packaged salad mixes during Passover unless they are certified as kosher for Passover. Not a problem, I’ll just make my own and enjoy this filling nutritious salad, perfect for Vegan Passover!!

Thanks so much for posting this in time for Passover; I’ve been scratching my head about second day lunch and this will do the trick. One thing, many of us are advised by our Rabbis that we can’t use packaged salad mixes during Passover unless they are certified as kosher for Passover. Not a problem, I’ll just make my own and enjoy this filling nutritious salad, perfect for Vegan Passover!!

Ruchama, this is actually a warm cooked pilaf, rather than a salad. If you’re interested in quinoa salads, there’s a few really nice ones on VegKitchen. Just go up to the search bar at the very top right and put in quinoa salad and you’ll get a few results!

Hi Ivy — you can absolutely do this without mushrooms. A nice substitution would be green peas. Or you need not substitute at all. As for the pistachios, I meant shelled, not pre-chopped. Sorry if I wasn’t clear; I don’t think there’s any such thing, actually. And of course you can just use pistachios that you shell yourself. Enjoy!

Hi Nava!
Thanks – this looks great. I haven’t used quinoa before – will this dish work well made the day before and reheated (during the seder)? Also for your reader Ivy, while Sephardic Jews do eat peas during Passover, Ashkenazim (Euroopean Decent) by tradition do not. Perhaps eggplant or even water chestnuts in place of mushrooms? Happy Passover!

Rabbi Sheryl, this would be a good recipe to make ahead and reheat. I would suggest leaving out the parsley until you reheat it, for brighter color. And thanks for your suggestion for Ivy. Happy Passover to you as well!

I made this dish for Passover this year and love it so much I am making it again for company Friday night. (One guest cannot eat any legumes which eliminates a lot of vegan dishes one might ordinarily make!) The pilaf is rather subtle, so I added roasted vegetables on top which I am going to make again. I found this recipe in Vegan Holiday Kitchen, which is now one of my very favorite cookbooks. The photographs are as sumptuous as the dishes. Thank you, Nava.